Paulina Guzik, OSV News / Omnes
The Vatican has denied reports claiming that former Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik was acquitted in his Vatican criminal trial. In a July 22 statement, the Vatican declared that rumors of an acquittal are «completely unfounded» and confirmed that the canonical trial is still under review. Authorities indicated that the judges are continuing to examine the evidence provided by the dioceses, the Jesuits, the alleged victims, and media reports.
The press release came a day after Laura Sgrò, a civil and canon lawyer representing five women who have accused Father Rupnik of abuse, rebuked the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, saying that neither she nor her clients had any information about the case, and that they had not been informed whether the trial had even begun.
The review of the case is still ongoing
On July 20, the Italian website Messainlatino.it reported that Father Rupnik, a well-known mosaic artist accused of abusing several women, may have been acquitted.
“INCREDIBLE! We have learned from reliable and highly authoritative sources that the criminal trial being held at the Vatican against Father Marko Ivan Rupnik has concluded in his favor,” the website reported. .
On July 22, Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, told reporters that “with regard to certain reports that have appeared in the media in recent days, I reiterate that the reports concerning any decision by the judges presiding over the case of Reverend Marko Ivan Rupnik are completely unfounded,” and that “the review of the case is still ongoing, and the panel is examining the documentation provided by the dioceses involved, the Jesuits, the interested parties, and the press.”.
The statement responds not only to recent inquiries from the media—including one sent by OSV News on July 21 to the prefect of the DDF, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández—but also to the questions raised in Sgrò’s letter.
On July 21, Sgrò told OSV News that she had not received confirmation from the Vatican regarding the start of the trial. She sent a letter, dated July 21, to Cardinal Fernández requesting this or other information. The Vatican’s July 22 press release confirmed, both to her and to her clients, that the trial is underway.
In his July 22 press release, Bruni stated that “During the proceedings, as in any legal proceeding, no information regarding the ongoing investigation may be shared out of respect for the process itself and to avoid harming all those involved, as has occurred in recent days. If the panel determines that it needs more information, it will take the necessary steps on its own initiative to obtain it.”.
Right to Know
Following the summit on protection organized by Pope Francis at the Vatican in February 2019, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta told the National Catholic Reporter that «victims who file a complaint have the right to know how it is being handled.».
“We have a law and a system that empowers people to report abuse or misconduct, but they also have the right to know what happens to their reports,” he said. Since 2018, Archbishop Scicluna has served as deputy secretary of the DDF.
Seven years after the summit, Pope Leo XIV, during the first extraordinary consistory held in Rome on January 7 and 8, strongly condemned the Church’s failure to welcome victims of sexual abuse, calling it a «scandal» that exacerbates their suffering.
The Church’s “door was closed,” and the victims “were not welcomed,” the Pope told the cardinals. The abuse itself “causes a deep wound that may last a lifetime,” the Pope said, “but often the scandal in the Church stems from the fact that the door was closed and the victims were not welcomed with the warmth of authentic shepherds.”.
In his letter to Cardinal Fernández, Sgrò stated that his clients feel “abandoned and betrayed” and “victims, once again, of a system that has never welcomed, protected, or comforted them.”.
Sgrò stated that he had not heard from the DDF since July 2025, when the Vatican officially appointed the judges presiding over Father Rupnik’s canonical trial. In his letter to Cardinal Fernández, Sgrò claimed that the victims have not been heard by the judges nor have they received any communication, and that the attorney had previously written to the prefect «several times, without receiving a response.».
Under Pressure to Get Answers
The disgraced Slovenian priest and artist, whose studio has created notable mosaics for more than 200 shrines and churches around the world, is accused of sexually, spiritually, and psychologically abusing more than two dozen women.
On July 21, OSV News sent a request for comment to Cardinal Fernández and Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, asking about the status of Father Rupnik’s case, what has happened since Cardinal Fernández’s personal announcement regarding the establishment of the tribunal of judges in July 2025, and whether the trial has begun.
OSV News also asked the DDF whether the abolition of the statute of limitations, granted by Pope Francis, applies to all the crimes in question or only to the «delicta graviora,» and whether Father Rupnik’s trial is a judicial proceeding or whether it is being conducted solely by extrajudicial decree—that is, through administrative channels.
“Delicta graviora” (Latin for “more serious crimes” or “more serious offenses”) is a technical term in canon law that refers to a specific category of canonical offenses reserved to the jurisdiction of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith due to their exceptional gravity.
These offenses include crimes against the faith (heresy, schism, and apostasy), certain offenses against the Eucharist and the sacrament of penance, and sexual offenses against minors and persons who habitually lack the use of reason. Sexual misconduct between adults of sound mind is generally not classified as such, unless it involves a crime against the sacrament of penance, according to canonists consulted by OSV News.
Although neither the prefect of the DDF nor the Holy See’s press office responded directly to OSV News’s questions, Bruni’s July 22 statement read: “This canonical criminal proceeding is judicial in nature and, as previously indicated, it is not subject to a statute of limitations for any offense and may determine guilt or innocence in accordance with Canon Law.”.
The statement adds that “Canon Law has the authority to adjudicate and impose sanctions in internal Church matters, while Reverend Marko Ivan Rupnik ”remains subject to the laws of the countries where crimes may have been committed, and the statute of limitations for such crimes is determined by the laws of each country, regardless of ecclesiastical authority.".
«More violence against my clients»
In his letter to Cardinal Fernández, Sgrò stated that what he perceived as a lack of communication was “a new form of violence against my clients, whose wounds are still open and have not healed even in the slightest.”.
“How can this be reconciled with the concepts of law, truth, justice, and fairness? With the words that the Holy Father continually uses in support of the victims of abuse?” he asked.
«Since yesterday,» she wrote in her July 21 letter to the prefect of the DDF, «rumors have been circulating that Father Rupnik has been cleared of the charge of violence. There has been no confirmation from reliable sources, nor even a denial» up to that point, and she added that the five women she represents «are deeply disheartened and saddened.».
“They have never received any news—not even from me—about this trial, which is nothing but rumors and about which, of course, nothing is known,” he added.
In the letter, Sgrò stated that his questions were «basic and minimal» given that this was «a criminal trial involving victims who had first reported the incidents more than thirty years ago.».
“Has the trial begun? If so, what is the current status? Who are the judges? What happened to my clients” requests to be admitted as injured parties in the trial? Why weren’t these women heard as witnesses?” Sgrò asked the day before the Vatican’s press release.
Although the Vatican's press release answered some of their questions, it did not directly state whether the alleged victims would be admitted as injured parties in the trial.
According to Canon 1729, “In the criminal trial itself, the injured party may file a civil action to seek compensation for the damages personally suffered as a result of the tort.”.
The Jesuits expelledl priest in 2023
Father Rupnik was briefly excommunicated by the Church in 2020 for granting absolution in the sacrament of reconciliation to an Italian novice with whom he had had sexual relations. The excommunication was lifted after the priest repented.
In December 2022, the Jesuits revealed that they had suspended the Slovenian artist following allegations of abuse. In June 2023, Rupnik was expelled from the Society of Jesus for refusing to comply with restrictions imposed in connection with the sexual, spiritual, and psychological abuse of some two dozen women and at least one man over a period of 30 years.
Despite the credibility of the allegations and his expulsion from the Society of Jesus, the Diocese of Koper, in Slovenia, the priest's home country, announced that it had incardinated Father Rupnik.
After the diocese confirmed in October 2023 that the priest had been there since August, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had lifted the statute of limitations on the case, allowing the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to continue its investigation.
In a statement released in October 2023, the Vatican stated that the decision was made after «the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors informed the Pope that there were serious problems in the handling of Father Marko Rupnik’s case and a lack of support for the victims.».
Meanwhile, the bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Koper—where Father Rupnik was incardinated in August 2023—told OSV News in February 2025 that the priest «continues his work around the world.».
In early June 2025, in a discreet but significant move, Vatican News began removing Father Rupnik’s artwork from its website. His mosaics, long used to commemorate major holidays online, have recently been replaced or left blank—a change that, according to many survivors, was long overdue.
Developments in Canon Law
OSV News consulted several canonists—who preferred to remain anonymous—about which canons might be used to judge Father Rupnik. The most likely is Canon 1395, which deals with sexual offenses committed by clergy, particularly violations of the Sixth Commandment («You shall not commit adultery»).
A cleric «who persists in any other external sin against the sixth commandment of the Decalogue that causes scandal shall be punished by suspension. To this, other penalties may be progressively added if, after a warning, he persists in the offense, until he may ultimately be expelled from the clerical state,» states the canon.
Experts in canon law explained to OSV News that one of the most significant aspects of the reform of Book VI of the Code of Canon Law, carried out by Pope Francis in 2021 and dealing with criminal law, was to update the law to criminalize the sexual abuse of adults committed through coercion or abuse of authority.
“Any cleric who, through force, threats, or abuse of authority, commits an offense against the sixth commandment of the Decalogue or compels someone to perform or submit to sexual acts shall be punished with appropriate penalties, including, where warranted, expulsion from the clerical state,” the text states.
According to the fundamental principle «lex retro non agit»—«the law does not apply retroactively»—new laws and regulations must not be applied to actions, events, or legal relationships that occurred before their enactment. Experts in canon law told OSV News that, therefore, Father Rupnik cannot be tried for «abuse of authority,» a provision added in Pope Francis’s reform.
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